Rat trap



,pri- 16, 1935.. E, A FUCHS 1,998,419'

RAT TRAP Filed March 9, 1954 Patented Apr. 16, 1935 vPATENT OFFICE RATTRAP Eugene A. Fuchs, Atlanta, Ga., assgnor, by direct and mesneassignments, to Douglas N. Mc- Curdy, Stone Mountain, Ga.

Application March 9, 1934,'seria1No. 714,868

4 Claims.

The invention forming the subject matter of this application relates ingeneral to animal traps, and particularly to traps designed to killanimals of the rodent type, such as rats, mice, etc.

The main object of the invention is to provide a trap of this characterwhich can be readily manufactured in large quantities and sold at lowcost for household use, or wherever trapsof thisr kind may be used.

Another object of the invention is to provide an animal trap of thecharacter described, which can be set and reset without the necessity ofapplying the hands of the user to the operative parts of the device. Inprior manually settable ydevices of this type, especially in thosedesigned to kill or trap comparativelylarge animals, the strength of theoperating spring mechanism frequently causes injury to the hands of thepersons setting the same. In the present invention the setting lelements are arranged out of the paths of movement of the actualtrapping or killing elements, and are designed to be set and resetbypressure applied thereto, either manually or by any suitable means.

It is Vgenerally known that most persons have a repugnance to actuallyhandling a trap of this kind, eitherto set the trap or release thetrapped animal, especially if the animal be of the unsanitaryrodenttype. It is, therefore, a further object of this invention to provide atrap of this character which can be set and reset and released withoutit being necessary for any person to apply any part of their bodythereto. This is also desirable, because as is well known, animals ofthe rodent type avoid devices of this character, having the human scentresulting from manual operation in the setting or-releasing thereof.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent as the detaileddescription thereof proceeds.

In the drawing:

Figure l is a plan of the animal trap with the parts thereof shown inset position;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the trap with the parts thereofsubstantially in the set position illustrated in Figure l; y

Figure 3 is a fragmentary side elevation of the trap, similar to Figure2, but with the elements of the invention in operated or trappingposition, and with parts broken away and shown in section; and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary vertical transverse section taken on the line4--4 of Figure 2.

As illustrated in the drawing, the invention comprises trappingmechanism, designated generally by the reference numeral I, operably Ymounted on a base plate 2, which may be made of any suitable material,but is preferably stamped out of sheet metal. This mechanism includes asubstantially rectangular frame having an end' rod 3 mounted to rotatein bearing apertures formed in pivot lugs 4 and 5, stamped up from thebase plate 2.

The sides 6 and l of the frame extend from oppositeendsof the pivot rod3, and have their outer'ends connected to the strikingbar 8, which ispreferably oiset downwardly from the plane of the sides 6 and l toenhance'the striking effect when the frame is released. This frame isintended to be made of stiff wire, the gauge of which will, of course,depend upon the size of the trap and the animals upon which it isintended to operate. 1 t

A coil spring 9, wound around the rod 3, has one end III suitablysecured to thebase 2, and has its other end II lextended to engage theside 6 of the frame. As will be obvious from inspection of the drawing,the torsion of the spring 9 is such as normally to force the free'orstriking end 8 of the frame toward the base 2.

o A plate I2 has its opposite ends bent around the sides 6 and I of theframe, and is pivoted to the rod 3 by means of the pivot lugs 4 and 5stamped downwardly to extend over and registerl vwith the lugs 4 and 5,respectively. `A pedal I3 outer end'of this pedal may obviously be de-`pressed toward the rear end of base 2 by means of a stick or rod ofanykind, or can be depressed by the hand or foot of the person using thetrap.

In order to set rthe trap; that is, to hold the frame with its outer end8 in the raised position shown in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawing, theplate I2 has a trigger lug I4 projecting laterally therefrom. The freeedge of the lug I4 is bent, orv otherwise suitably shaped, to form arounded edge I5, adapted to be received in a notch I6 formed at the endof one arm I'I of a bell crank trigger lever suitably pivoted at itselbow I8 between the pivot lugs I9 and 20, stamped up from the baseplate 2, by means of the pivot 2|.

The other arm 22 of the bell crank trigger lever is normallyoverbalanced by the weight 23 on the outer end of arm I1. -The outer end24 of this arm 22 is shaped as a hook adapted to hold an suitablematerial which may be used as an animal bait.

When the trap is set as shownin Figures 1 and 2, it is obvious that anypull applied to the CJI bait end of the arm 22 will cause the lowercurved end of the notch I6 to ride up over the rounded edge I5 of theplate I4 and thereby release the frame from the trigger lever. Thespring 9 then snaps the frame toward the base 2 and causes the outer end8 of the frame to strike and trap or kill any animal pulling at thebait. Whenever it becomes necessary to release the trapped animal, or toreset the trap, the operator may do so merely by pressing the pedal I3towardthe rear end of base 2. This pressure causes the rounded edge I5of the lug I 4 to slide over the lower edge of the lever arm I1 until itsnaps yinto the notch IG. The torsion of the spring 9 then holds theseveral elements of the trap releasably in set position.

It is obvious that the frame I2 and the pedal I3 connected thereto forma bell crank. lever which is pivoted at its elbow by means. of the` rodand pivot lugs 4 and 5 to the base 'plate 2. The invention thuscomprises two simple cooperating bell crank levers pivoted to thebaseabout axes parallel to each other and having elements cooperatingyto hold the trap releasably set. `The invention is therefore one ofextreme simplicity, which can have the elements thereofv manufactured ona production scale.

It will be apparent that minor changes may be madeV in the form andconstruction of the in- "vention without departing from the materialspiritthereof. It is not, therefore, desired to confine the invention tothe exact form herein shown and described, but it is desired to includeall such as properly come Within the scope claimed.

`WhatIclaim is:

1. An animaltra-p comprising a base, a frame pivoted at one end to saidbase, a coil spring connected to said frame and base for normallyforcing the free end of said frame toward said base, a bell crank leverhaving one arm secured to said frame and having its other arm extendingas a pedal at an angle therefrom, a bell crank bait holding leverpivoted at its elbow to said base to rotate about an yaxis parallel tosaid base and having a latch arm extending toward the pivoted end Aofsaid frame, and cooperating latching means on said frame engagingv armand latch arm for holding the frame releasably in a predeterminedangular relation to said base.

2. An animal trap comprising a base, a substantially rectangular framepivoted at one end to said base, a spring connected to said frame andbase for normally forcing said frame toward said base, a plate securedto said frame adjacent its pivoted end, a pedal projecting from saidplate rearwardly of said frame, a bait holding lever pivotedintermediate its ends to said base to rotate about an axis parallel tosaid base, and having one arm movable toward and. from the pivot end ofsaid frame, and a lugprojecting from said plate and having its outeredge adapted to seat in a notch formed in the end of said arm to lockthe frame releasably in a predetermined angular relation to said base.

3. An animal trapcomprising a base, a substantially rectangular framepivoted at one end to said base, a spring connected to saidirame andbase for normally forcing said frame toward said base,l a. plate securedto said frame adjacent its pivoted end, a pedal projecting from saidplate rearwardly of said frame, a bait holding lever pivotedintermediate its ends to said base to rotate about an axis parallel tosaid base, and ha"- ing one arm movable toward and from the pivot end ofsaid frame, a lug projecting from said plate and having its outer edgeadapted to seat in a notch formed in the end of said arm to lock theframe releasably in a predetermined angular relation to said base andmeans on said arm for overbalancing said bait holding lever to maintainthe notched end thereof in operative contact with the outer edge of saidlug.

4,. An animal trap comprising a base, a substantially rectangular framepivoted at one end to said base, a spring connected to said frame and`base for normally forcing said frame toward said base, a plate securedto said frame adjacent its pivoted end, a pedal projecting from saidplate rearwardly of said frame, a bait holding lever pivotedintermediate its ends to said base, and having one arm movable towardand from the pivot end of said frame, a lug projecting from said plateand having its outer edge adapted to seat in a notch formed in the endof said arm to lock the frame releasably in a predeterminedanguiar-relation to said base, means for overhalancing said bait holdinglever to maintain the notched end thereof in operative contact with theouter edge of said lug, and a stop acting in opposition to said meansfor limiting the movement of said notched arm toward the pivot end ofsaid frame.

' EUGENE A. FUCHS.

